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Between 8:30 Pm and 9:30 Pm, please switch off non-essential lights…it results in energy savings, but more importantly, allows you to join in a global movement against protecting Environment and Earth. You make a statement, and you feel a part of a Global Community (around 150 countries participating including India and UAE) working for a common cause…
Join in events across the World…check the link below:http://uae.panda.org/earthhour/events_eh13/ (for UAE events)http://www.wwfindia.org/ (for India events)y

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Today on International Women’s Day (08/03/2013), I am feeling differently than all earlier Women’s Days. Actually, this is the first time I am actually feeling something on this day…I am feeling proud to be a woman. This may have something to do with the recent spate of crime against women, reported in India, and actually all over the world. Let me explain the link…

By the way, when I say ‘woman’, it means anyone, from an infant girl to an old woman.

Women-related crimes are not new, but still occurrences seem to have increased…too much violence, too much aggression, and at the receiving end is the fairer sex, or, shall I say, the ‘physically weaker sex’. To add up to the miseries of a woman, is the patriarchal social order and dysfunctional law and order mechanism.

When the occurrences of crime cross a limit, voices are raised. Our society is undergoing that churn. While the evilness of society is raising its head to crush the right of a woman to live with equality, a wave of protest is rising to counter it. That wave comprises of sane individuals who believe that dignified co-existence of genders is critical to leading human race towards peace and prosperity.

This phenomenon is affecting society in two ways – While voices are being raised against unacceptable behavior and mindsets, women are getting to that point that they FEEL and realized their importance for the society, at large.

So, I too, FEEL that despite my insecurities as a woman, I also have an important role to play in the dynamics of society! As a gender, a female is critical for the sustenance of human race, in more ways than one. And if a section of society is bent towards treating her unfairly, then she can surely muster her immense inner strength to undo the wrong-doing.

That conviction has surfaced in me, in the wake of rise in crimes and subsequent uprising. I want to believe that the BALANCE between genders will be restored, sooner than later.

Some new and some tested ways for promoting people to recycle – ‘Carrot and stick’ policy – Focus here is on the ‘carrot’ bit…the first point showcases a new idea while the second point elaborates on a time-tested idea

In residential areas, door-to-door collection of recyclables is a tested option, especially successful in developing countries like India.

For this option to work, it is important to give incentives, howsoever, small to residents, to segregate waste and give it for recycling.

The incentives may be in the form of some vouchers of a nearby supermarket/hypermarket, for a fixed amount of recyclables deposited in a fixed duration of time.

The recyclables which have high possibility of being collected are plastic bags and packaging material, cardboard packaging material, plastic toys, pens, old newspapers and magazines.

Of course, it would mean substantial investment at the municipality and environmental organization level. The investment would primarily be in the form of recruiting staff for door-to-door collection, proper staff training, spreading awareness among the residents in the form of training workshops/advertisements, and necessary tools and techniques to make the accounting process transparent and efficient.

Once the process takes off, and even a small segment of residential community comes to term with this essential activity, recycling becomes a ‘house-hold phenomenon’; in literal sense…Due to ripple and domino effects, a wider base of residents will be encouraged to recycle!

End-result: Substantial part of 2.1 kg of waste generated per capita, (by a UAE resident as per Bee’ah estimates) recycled!